User reviews

This isn't a flawless movie; some of the CGI and character designs are terrible (e.g. The Krampus cantina scene); the tone is an inconsistent mix of earnestness and moderately profane PG-13 snark; and the conclusion is predictable (as it is with virtually every Christmas movie, to be fair.) Nevertheless it has enough strange notions along the way that it's entertaining in spite of its flaws. The worldbuilding is inventive and the story combines Icelandic, Alpine and Nordic traditions in satisfying ways. The acting is decent. The protagonists are well-developed and they're just barely sympathetic enough that their redemptions are rewarding. Some of the dialogue is deceptively sharp. Overall the movie isn't trying to be anything other than unconventional bombastic fun and it mostly succeeds.

This isn't a future classic or reinvention of a genre but it is enjoyable, quirky and affable. I'm perplexed by the overwhelmingly negative critical response; but having gone into it with low expectations because of same I was pleasantly surprised.

Just watched this at the cinema on release day. I actually enjoyed the movie. It's not my favourite Christmas film by any stretch but I enjoyed watching something a little bit different but still had lots of Christmas magic within.

It's very much an action/adventure/Christmas film all rolled into one. The storyline centres on the main characters quest to locate and return Santa Clause after he is kidnapped. Lots of adventure and jokes along the way. Some hit and some miss!

Like all Christmas films of this nature, just enjoy it for what it is. These types of movies should never be about real life but just immerse yourself for 2 hours in a world of action and magic.

Overall, a solid 7 out of 10 for me. Not the best or worst film I've seen but for this time of year it is certainly one I'd recommend.

But as I always say, don't worry about reviews! Everyone will see the same thing differently. Go and make your own mind up.

I watched Red One yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. I thought it would be kind of trashy , but it was well made. It felt like what you'd get if Marvel made a Christmas movie-full of action, humor, and holiday spirit. The cast brought a lot of energy, and Kiernan Shipka stood out as the evil witch;

That said, the characters didn't have much depth, and the movie had this odd mix of feeling like a kids' film that isn't really for kids. Dwayne Johnson's character as E. L. F was a quite fun fit. This movie was giving my boyfriend and me plenty of laughs throughout. Overall, it was wholesome, light, and fun.

I wouldn't rush to see it in theaters, but it's perfect for a cozy night on the couch. If you're looking for a feel-good Christmas movie to watch at home, I'd definitely recommend it.

Bursts onto the scene with a dynamic and inventive twist on the superhero genre, seamlessly blending action, humor, and holiday spirit. Directed with flair, it brings together a talented cast that elevates the narrative into something more than your typical action-packed adventure. Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans share an electric on-screen chemistry, each delivering standout performances that keep the audience engaged from start to finish. Their playful banter and contrasting personalities inject a sense of fun that is often missing in more conventional superhero films.

What makes Red One stand out is its refreshing approach to familiar tropes. While the movie has its fair share of explosive set pieces, it never forgets to ground itself in heart. The film's pacing ensures you're never bored, offering just enough depth and intrigue to keep the plot moving forward without overloading you with unnecessary complexity.

The visual effects are top-notch, providing a thrilling experience that matches the film's ambitious scale. Whether you're a fan of the genre or a newcomer to superhero films, Red One offers a thrilling yet lighthearted experience that redefines what an action movie can be during the holiday season.

Unlike some, I found this film every bit as engaging as most any other Christmas film. Was it as moving as a few old time classics, It's A Wonderful Life, A Miracle on 34th Street, etc? Maybe not, but for my money, it certainly held its own with the greater compliment of holiday films I've seen in my 60 years of life. I definitely see this as a film I'll be revisiting again, more than once, every holiday season. It certainly helped in my feeling the fun of Christmas in an especially tough year. Everyone in the cast did a fine job, the script worked well and all of the artistic and technical aspects made be believe in the magic. I'm so glad I didn't buy what the critics had to say. Red One is solid Holiday Surprise in all of the best ways!

POSITIVES:

1) The best performance in the film by an absolute mile is Kiernan Shipka. She's the only one to me that doesn't feel like she's completely sleepwalking or just staying within her comfort zone.

2) The action scenes are serviceable. There are some decent hand to hand combat sequences and a couple moments that actually raise the heart rate a bit.

3) The chemistry between The Rock and Chris Evans is good, with some decent laughs, it's just hard to get on board with it too much when it feels identical to the chemistry between The Rock and Ryan Reynolds in Red Notice.

NEGATIVES:

1) As I've alluded to above, all of the main cast feel like they're either sleepwalking, or just playing the same role they're comfortable playing in every film they're in. The Rock just plays himself, Chris Evans just plays Ryan Reynolds, and Lucy Liu plays someone who looks like she couldn't care less and only looked at the script for the first time the same day they were shooting the scenes.

2) The plot makes absolutely no sense and is laughably silly. Also, some of the dialogue is atrocious and so cringeworthy. These two things combined means that the writing definitely gets a big thumbs down from me.

3) For a film that was somehow so eye-wateringly expensive, I thought the special effects and the CGI looked terrible. There were several moments where it was so obvious that characters were standing against blue screen / green screen backdrops, or where the CGI monsters looked like they were made by people who had never worked on films before. It then finally ends with this big action crescendo that looked like a video game cutscene from 10-15 years ago. I honestly couldn't believe how bad the film looked.

Don't go into this movie expecting a perfect plot or deep storytelling. However, if you're looking for an action-packed Christmas film with interesting holiday lore, cool characters, and fun gimmicks, it's worth checking out. While some character development feels lacking, the acting is solid overall and there are some genuinely funny moments if you're in the right mood. The movie blends Christmas magic with intense action sequences in an entertaining way, even though some parts of the story might feel unrealistic

Despite its flaws, it succeeds in delivering festive fun with a darker twist, making it an enjoyable watch for those who don't mind their holiday cheer mixed with some mayhem.

Going in I expected just a cheesy Xmas film but to its credit Red One tried to do something different in the vein of a dark fantasy action Christmas adventure. It should be commended for that alone. Not quite the well executed violence of Violent Night, Red One takes a more light hearted approach with its dark action fantasy that can cater to a broader audience. It did this by attempting to combine action, with a heartfelt message and Christmas lore. Although it faltered in its execution mainly due to plot points, CGI and not fully capturing the Christmas spirit, the ambition of the film should be commended and it was boosted by performances from its lead cast. Whilst it won't any prestigious Xmas shortlists, it's a stocking filler that can be enjoyed at family gatherings.

Red One is a pretty bad movie with an okay story, terrible dialogues and mediocre technical achievements.

The story is very predictable with one twist that got me. The movie wouldn't be that boring with a fairly well-written script, but the dialogues were absolutely terrible. The characters did have arcs, and that's the best part about it, because they were very clichéd and predictable.

The camera work was pretty okay in the beginning, but by the end I couldn't see any of the action, there was nothing special about the cinematography. The pacing could've been a lot better. The most insane thing about this movie is the fact that they spent 250 million dollars and the CGI was below average in a couple of scenes. The acting performances were also terrible or mediocre except for one scene between Jack and his son.

Red One could be a fun watch, but it's too long, there's too much bad CGI and some of the actors didn't give a damn.

7/10

Red One is pure entertainment. It knows what it is, leans into it, and doesn't try to be anything else. Movies like this are a rarity these days-a fun, self-aware story that's well-executed without taking itself too seriously. Think The Toxic Avenger or other classics that knew they were dumb fun and embraced it. That's Red One, and it absolutely works.

What sets this movie apart is its solid storytelling. There are no plot holes that leave you scratching your head or logical inconsistencies that pull you out of the experience. Everything in Red One fits together in a way that makes sense for the world it creates. It's entertaining because it's well-written, even though it's a "bad" movie by traditional standards. That's the magic: it's a good bad movie, and it knows how to deliver on every level.

This isn't just a movie for kids, either. It's got plenty for parents to enjoy, too, from clever humor to genuinely heartfelt moments. It tells a wholesome story without being preachy, making it a perfect family film that's actually enjoyable for everyone.

It's frustrating to see some modern audiences trashing this movie. People seem to have forgotten what it means to just sit back and be entertained. Not every movie needs to be some deep, artistic exploration of the human condition. Sometimes, a film just needs to make you smile, and Red One nails that. Pure escapism.

If you're tired of agenda-driven, over-serious films that forget to actually entertain, Red One is a breath of fresh air. It's unapologetically fun, smartly written, and a reminder of why we love movies in the first place.

If you saw the Rotten Tomato score you would think this was a travesty but it isnt. This is actually decent and thats coming from a person who maybe has a total of 20 movies above an 8.0.

Now mind you this is not a masterpiece. For example, Klaus was a great movie. This is not at that level but it does have more action and can generally be considered an easier watch because its an action adventure. Overall id say its a solid above average flick that will make it on the holiday watch list from here on.

Santa is kidnapped by the evil witch who wishes to use him as a battery to power her caper of punishing the naughty. The good guys have to rescue Santa while dealing with mythical creatures around the world.

There is violence involved but its very tame. I would say its nothing like Home Alone in terms of outright violent imagery so if you are ok with that, this is no worse. The only parts that might scare your kids are the creatures but they dont come off as menacing or anything. In fact the scariest ones like Krampus come off as somewhat funny and cheesy. Campy is probably the best tone to use here.

Give this one a shot and ignore the really strange user scores. I have no idea why its so bad on rotten tomatoes. Something is very wrong with critics over there with the collective 30% score. User score is 90%, just to show you how disconnected those critics were from anything sensible.

Give this a shot. Its not going to blow your socks off, but its a fun holiday flick.

There is no Christmas spirit here, just shameless corporate money making.

All characters are nothing to be related with. A divorced family. Father who is a thief both in digital as well analog world for the highest bidder and keeps his distance from his only son. The apple does not fall too far from the tree, and the boy is no role model either; quite the contrary.

Things are not any better at the other end of the spectrum. Many of the Santa Claus' subordinates are both physically and verbally very aggressive. No happy little elves here, but a bunch of scary monsters.

Product placement is blatant. While the message the movie attempts to convey is that one should not land on a naughty list, the outcome of not being on one is just having more material wealth.

Moreover, the writing has no nice tones or shades, and mood swings are extreme. At one point, the movie looks like a happy PG rated film but suddenly violence is queued in. As if the PG-13 rating is merely a mathematical average, a result of two scripts being put together. One, that was a traditional, targeted for the entire family and the other, which aims solely for R rating.

One has to ask: What does the headless horseman do in this movie? Better be just a leftover from otherwise scrubbed script, that was used to get some salary bonus (unlocked by over two hour runtime) and not an attempt to build yet another cinematic universe.

And that is really the biggest problem. This movie is not really for anyone.

For the youngest audience this is much too scary. Teenagers likely find the subject is just too pampered, hormones and testosterone are not exactly oozing in this one. Finally, mature audiences, just like the very young ones, cover their eyes with hands. Not because this would be a horror movie, but because of the shame. Even if one leaves before the credits are rolled in, the fee was paid, and ultimately it financed an entity, that does not exactly make the world a better place (at least based on this release).

True popcorn entertainment might not receive very high ratings on an absolute scale, but does not truly leave one unsatisfied.

This movie, however, provides no value other than making many of the existing Christmas themed, done nothing but paycheck in mind, movies look like masterpieces.

If you want to watch a movie on Friday evening and eat popcorn, after a long week and just be entertained, this is the movie to watch. After the movie you can go home or to a bar, and you start your rest of the evening in a good mood, changed over from work week. It is not an oscar film, it is entertaining movie and it does it's job as entertainment increbly well. Best movie experience for last couple of months.

The writing does not take itself too seriously, but someone has read the script and gone over it to make it decent. None of the jokes are embarrassing or too cheap. There are some obvious jokes, but they are not overplayed. The characters are believable, I would make the same choices in these situations. The magic is using ruleset and isn't just blanket solution. I don't expect characters to have too much depth, but they have sides that I didn't expect and found fascinating.

It seems that critics have totally missed what this movie is and for who it is for.

The one word I can use to describe this film, is polarizing. The movie had a somewhat interesting plot that was executed in such a lackluster and cliche way. The cinematography and editing was also boring and at times so bad that it was hard to watch. Particularly in the first fight scene of the movie the editing had so many jump cuts that I had to close my eyes cause it was causing me a headache. Visually the movie was very dark and bland, the designs of the mythic creatures in the movie were very bad and it was clear this movie did not have the budget it needed to make the affects and designs work well. One other big issue I had with this movie is its tone, I genuinely can't tell who it was made for. The swearing and dark themes make it hard for kids to get into and enjoy while the movie also being too childish and boring for teens and adults to enjoy it. Overall, it was a bland corporate mess that I highly suggest you avoid.

We were looking ti kill some time, and decided to check out Red One. As someone who normally doesn't like Christmas movie, often because they can feel a bit predictable, this one was a pleasant surprise. It takes a familiar holiday theme and adds a fresh, exciting twist that really works for someone like me who doesn't like this sort of movie.

Even though I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to holiday films, Red One struck the perfect balance. It offers a fun, lighthearted Christmas experience, but with just enough depth to keep things interesting for the adults too.

The movie has a great vibe for kids, while still managing to sneak in a few clever moments for the grown-ups. So, if you're looking for a family-friendly holiday flick, this is definitely a good pick. It might not change your outlook on life, but you'll definitely find yourself looking at Santa in a whole new way, especially when it comes to his impressive weightlifting skills!

Just Got Out of a Screening of Red One

Oh boy, it was an absolute Failure.

Flat as Hell & an Absolute Waste of Time.

If you've got nothing else to do, I still wouldn't recommend it.

Because what is going to happen is -

⏳ - 30 Minutes in, you're like "Okay, there's some interesting Things Going on here, let's see where this goes"

⌛ - 1 hour in, you'll be like "Okay, this is a bit boring now & the jokes aren't funny, can we pick it up guys, make it enjoyable"

😴 - 1 hour & 20 minutes in, you'll be struggling to stay awake

🚫 - And at around 1 hour & 40 minutes in, you'll be begging for the film to finish

🇺🇸 - Chris Evans, good God Almighty, he didn't even know what to do, come up with something damn it.

🤷‍♀️ - Lucy Liu was Just Whatever.

💪 - JK Simmons, Well, at least he's Jacked

🔮 - Kiernan Shipka understood the Assignment, she at least Tried Something(some stunning shots of her too)

🗿 - Where was the full energy amp of the Rock? The rock just letting loose on screen, the rock just going full force, full the rock. The rock just amping himself up, across the Screen.

What an absolute Letdown

Again, it's just flat as Hell.

Overall, an absolute Slog of a Time at the Cinema.

Initially I thought that Dwayne Johnson and a Chrismas movie was a strange mixture, but then again, Schwarzenegger pulled it off with the 1996 movie "Jingle All the Way", and thus I opted to actually give Dwayne Johnson the benefit of the doubt.

And color me impressed, because "Red One" was definitely a movie worthy of being an action-star's contender to "Jingle All the Way". It was a movie that combined the archetypical action and punching that you get in Dwayne Johnson movies mixed with an actually well-written Christmassy storyline. And it worked out wonderfully. In fact, I will say that "Red One" actually is a notch better than "Jingle All the Way".

The storyline in "Red One" is enjoyable and entertaining. I found it to be a well-written and interesting script, because it was a fast paced narrative, but at the same time, it was a story that reeled in the audience and took us along on a Christmassy thrill-ride. Thumbs up to writers Chris Morgan and Hiram Garcia for accomplishing this with the script.

Now, you know what you get when you sit down to watch a movie that has Dwayne Johnson in a leading role, and "Red One" is no different, for better or worse. But the movie also have some great performances from Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju and J. K. Simmons. I have to direct the spotlight to J. K. Simmons, because he really was phenomenal in this movie.

The special effects in the movie are good, and they look realistic, which just made the movie all the more magical to sit through.

Now, something that I have to applaud in the movie are the creature designs and the creature effects. When the storyline comes to Krampus's castle, I was blown away by the practical creature effects and make-up there. It was phenomenal. I loved that segment of the movie so much, as I've always been a huge fan of interesting creature designs and especially when they look as realistic as they did in "Red One". Thumbs up to the creators for that accomplishment.

While "Red One" does not have the contents to be a returning Christmas classic, it definitely is a Christmas movie that you have to watch at least once.

My rating of director Jake Kasdan's 2024 movie "Red One" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

My husband and I enjoyed this "Avengers meets the North Pole" take on a Christmas movie. But, since when is there swearing in Santa's workshop? This movie is definitely not for young children--society has really become coarse and has lowered its standards when it comes to inappropriate, vulgar language. We had fun watching this movie, but profane language is a cheap crutch that we're tired of in "family" movies and TV. In adult action and drama movies, where it's in context, fine-we love a nice gritty thriller.

J. K. Simmons, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu were good in their roles, but we were disappointed that Simmons, as Santa, did not have a more prominent role. Johnson and Evans have wonderful chemistry and Liu fit right in as a no-nonsense security director. The movie was also a bit too long-it could have definitely been tightened up in the middle.

We don't recommend this as a family Christmas movie unless everyone is over 16.